One might think that social networks are a private matter, yet employers do not hesitate to take a look around and inspect the profile of a potential candidate or monitor an employee who is a little too absent.
How to identify a candidate’s profile?
In addition to looking at a candidate’s resumé, the recruiter will look for information on the candidate’s personal pages. Nothing can be blamed on the recruiter, since if the profiles are public anyone can have access to the various information found on them. However, it is of course illegal to exclude a potential candidate for discriminatory reasons. A candidate who did not take care to switch his network to “private” mode could be excluded if the recruiter does not like his personality.
A risk for employees
Many employees do not realize that they are playing their reputation on social networks. Indeed, questionable comments or publications that come to the attention of a superior could be held against an employee. But worse, some people do not hesitate to criticize, sometimes in a virulent way, their company or their manager directly. Of course, as everything can be found on the Internet, these comments can very quickly be brought to the attention of one’s superiors.
Sometimes an unscrupulous employee does not hesitate to post photos of his “vacation” even though he has taken a sick leave. This can of course be a reason for dismissal.
Still others, with too much enthusiasm publish trade secrets or information that could lead to intellectual property infringement without thinking. In some cases, these harmful behaviours are carried out in a fully conscious manner with the sole purpose of harming the company. This can also lead to disciplinary sanctions.
Social networks, a chance to find a job
Since the emergence of these new means of communication, Facebook for example, has become a way of seeking employment and many groups are created to fulfill this purpose. But there are also professional social networks, intended only for internships or job searches where recruiters publish their job offers and workers publish their job searches.
This is why it is even more important to have an almost irreproachable behaviour on social media platforms in order to put all chances on your side, a recruiter could always take a look at your profile.
